Feature:
Great sunburst finish (although some black outlining on the seams was not perfect), high quality tuners - would have preferred better quality bridge pins, but, I can change these anytine. There appear to be some rumours going around about the natural finish having a solid spruce top. I have contacted Epiphone directly and they have confirmed to me that THE NATURAL DOES NOT HAVE A SOLID SPRUCE TOP. 'Love or hate' big, fancy moustache bridge - I love it.

Quality:
Would have preferred a solid spruce top, but, for the price no complaints at all on quality. Gold plating will likely wear off the tuners some time.

Value:
Simply outstanding. Where else can you get a guitar that built to this standard and this beatiful for less that £250.00?

Desirability:
The syling is quite controversial - some people's immediate impression might be that this is a Country and Western guitar. That's just not the case - it's a beautiful, great sounding, great value versatile guitar. If the Gibson version is good enough for Pete Townsend then this Epiphone version is more than good enough for me.

Sound:
Really nice warm, clear sound for picking and a room filling, full bodied sound for strumming. Can't complain for the money.

Ease of Use:
Very easy to play, no buzzing, great tuners for quickly getting in and out of open tunings.

Support:
Epiphone responded on the same day concerning my query above. I have only just acquired the guitar and it's in excellent order - no warranty issues.

Overall:
I can't see me changing the EJ-200 in a hurry - for less that £250.00 this guitar ticks all the boxes and more. Buy it, play it and even if you can't play the guitar buy one anyway... just to admire the looks.

• User: a customer from fabermaunsell.com
• Submitted: 4/15/2008
• Style of Music: Rock, Pop
• Location: UK

Feature:
There really arent many necessary features for a good sounding acoustic guitar. I like that the tuning machines are Grover - well designed and sturdy. The pearl inlays are an excellent addition, especially since you wouldn't expect such fine detail in this price range.

Quality:
For the money you cannot find a better made guitar on the market.

Value:
Again, the best value on the market for an acoutic guitar.

Desirability:
Guitar is gorgeous.

Sound:
This guitar sounds great, there is no question about it. For this price range it is the best on the market. Some $4,000 acoustics may sound better - but the EJ-200 stands up with the best of them. I tried out some Talyors and Martins in the showroom and the EJ-200 was right on par.

Ease of Use:
I love this guitar, but the body is a bit larger than a standard sized acoustic. Takes a little getting used to, but well worth it. The jumbo body actually makes this a very unique instrument.

Support:
haven't had the need for support.

Overall:
Bottom line - you can't go wrong with the EJ-200 Now everyone can afford a gorgeous, well-made, great sounding acoustic.

• User: a customer from aol.com
• Submitted: 3/21/2008
• Style of Music: rock blues jazz
• Location: new york

Feature:
You may be surprised , as i was, to know that the natural version has a solid spruce top & a solid maple body...no laminate whatsoever...(Info from Gibson based on serial #) whereas the colored versions have a laminate top....good reason to go plain with this one....The sound difference is obvious when the colored version and the natural versions are played together. Deluxe case is sweet & is a super tight fix....no banging around in this one.

Quality:
This thing looks nice & when the dude who traded me for my bass came over... i must admit - i was aprehensive...When i opened the case however...i was blown away by the look....the wood is clean w/no blemises - the mustash is hilarious - the inlays are big & easy to see - i could do without the frilly crap on the pick guard ...but it looks nice...All in All, the attention to detail is there...2 quality control tags - one from china & one from Gibson here in the states.

Value:
For me - I traded a 200.00 Rogue VB-100 Hollowbody bass for it that i only paid 125.00 for it....i think i scored because the sound is good, the look is sweet and i really am no good at the bass.

Desirability:
Really isn't to heavy for it's size The appeal is in three catergories i think: 1- Country 2- Classical 3- Anything with Technical fingerwork It just has a look of class

Sound:
2005 EJ-200 NA The sound is full & rich. As wierd as it sounds - i play flamenco on this thing & i like it because i can be extremly expressive without a whole bunch of hand strength. Dont know how it sounds with others but it can certainly stand alone. the string pegs are cheap plastic but that is easily remidied

Ease of Use:
Damn easy to tune & it stays there. action is good...i read that the action was really high but i did not find that to be true... For those of us who are not the best players..the first couple frets are huge because of the scale size...made learning flamenco easier. I like it.... I bought my wife a Big Baby Taylor & that thing is nice but i really have to pound it hard to get the sound i want..the ej-200 wants me to play with it. Keep in mind - this aint your mammas low profile guitar - this thing is fat...so i suppose holding it may be an issue if you are standing..

Support:
Was easy enough to call and get the info i was looking for. CSR was pleasant & did some exhaustive research to give me information.

Overall:
I expect to keep this untill i can goto Mexico & buy a D hole. The Gitane is nice but shotty set-up for the price. I like it & it certainly serves the porpose...I read so many reviews & took a chance...Glad i did.. If i had to replace it and only had 500.00 bucks - I wouldn't buy something else. I considered lots of things when i went to trade...I looked at some 30 guitars and it only took about 5 mins to take this one. I wish i knew more about guitars before i got it .. but i was lucky & this one works good. REMEMBER - ONLY THE NATURAL VERSION HAS SOLID WOOD ON ALL SIDES

• User: a customer from speakeasy.net
• Submitted: 2/20/2007
• Style of Music: Flamenco - Jazz
• Location: Seattle Washington USA

Quality:
Never owned a j200 but it couldn't be much nicer. From my experience having played them I don't see $3000.00 difference.

Value:
The best guitar for the money I've ever seen.

Desirability:
I'm a big guy, so this guitar looks better than the others I've owned that look like a ukulele on the big guy.

Sound:
I am a working musician on a cruise ship. So my guitars have to be ready at all times, five shows, five days a week. The EJ200 has never let me down. Durable, great sound,and great looks.

Ease of Use:
Best guitar neck of my life. Chords are smooth as silk. No buzzing, I hate buzzing!!!

• User: a customer from pizzabob.com
• Submitted: 2/14/2007
• Style of Music: RockBlueCountry
• Location: Merritt Island, FL

Feature:
Not an expert, but again for the money, the construction seems fantastic and durable. Because this does not have a made in America sticker on it has nothing to do with the sound or overall construction of the guitar, only bragging points about having something from Montana vs. Korea which is not yet recognized in the guitar industry. If I sit the Gibson J-200 next to the Epiphone, it is hard to tell them apart. It is advisable to change the strings and spend another 40 bucks to get a professional overhaul to match your style however - Easy to do since you just saved about 3,000 dollars to get a guitar in the same range as a J-200. Lastly, Maple is maple - it`s powerful and crisp and the wood on the epiphone is the same as the Gibson. If you want volume and power, maple is your wood.

Quality:
Quality seems great - no glue marks, spotless finish, nice clean laminate maple. I rate this only at 8 since I have owned my Epiphone for less than a few months and it is not time-tested. I expect that not only will it stand the test, but once it breaks in further the sound should only improve.

Value:
This product is worth more than the selling price if you compare it with other maple Jumbos in the market. I just spent the last two months comparing every major brand guitar in the jumbo and dreadnaught range I could get my hands on and scouring the internet. I almost felt guilty for liking this guitar so much - it sounds too good for the price and doesn`t carry the fancy name - Either Epiphone is offering a best kept secret or the Guitar market is 5-8 times overpriced.

Desirability:
Sexy as they come - Chris Isaak`s favorite guitar is a J-200....need I say more? I prefer the natural wood to the black and sunburst though - it has a clean look to it accentuated with the black pickguard. Sex appeal shouldn`t matter to a good guitarist, but there is no shame to strum this guitar in front of the mirror and pretend 25,000 people are looking back at you.

Sound:
The sound on this guitar is stunning for the price. It pulls really well in the low and high end with heavy strumming and rings like a Gibson J-200 (which I also own). There is a deeper mellow sound to the Gibson but the Epiphone is brighter and much easier to play, whereas the Gibson seems a little muted in comparison. It is a great guitar for alternative rock and folk music with strong strumming styles.

Support:
No experience with support, but the comfort of a life-time guarantee lets me know that if I need to, I have a right to service on the product indefinitely.

Overall:
Again, time will tell, but currently I can`t see finding a better sounding guitar or a guitar with more value anywhere near this price range. Finding this Epiphone was a good lesson in not following the trend of going with the big names - play it - listen to it - compare it to other big name Jumbos and then look around to see if it`s really alright to pay this little money for such an accoustic beast and use some of the money you saved to celebrate an awesome purchase.

• User: a customer from yahoo.com
• Submitted: 12/20/2004
• Style of Music: Alternative, Rock, Folk
• Location: Tokyo, Japan

Feature:
really a sharp looking guitar. nice appointments and binding and fret work are actually much better than my Epiphone SG Custom. i wish my SG had just as a nice a finish as this guitar. very sturdy, strong guitar. feels like it will last a long time and take a good beating if you travel a lot.

Quality:
seems to be really well put together and finished. had some small minor surface haze in a couple spots on my ebony finished guitar. i am sure the natural finishes wouldn't even show these small blemishes though. black is really tough to keep clean and to keep from scratching.

Value:
pretty good perceived value due to the name, looks and quality.

Desirability:
sex appeal is quite high...one of my deciding factors. to look for a guitar that would be eye catching and still sound and play really well. epiphone typically fits meets this requirement pretty well.

Sound:
immediately changed the strings out for Gibson J200 50/11 set and really improved the mid and high end range of guitar. nice warm bassy low end and not shrill high end makes it an overall very good sounding guitar.

Support:
only emailed the company one time about an electric guitar and received fast response. had to take my electric epiphone in for a switch replacement, but the lifetime warranty helps me relax on this one.

Overall:
would have prefered to have electronics on board as stock equipment for this price range, and to have the action pre-set a little lower.

• User: a customer from adelphia.net
• Submitted: 2/12/2004
• Style of Music: rock, blues, r&b, modern jazz
• Location: colorado springs, co